Greenwashing

Critical Discourse Analysis of "Eco-Friendly" Consumer Product Branding

Featuring original student illustrations!

Each "True Label" illustration creatively presents a visual critique of the complex labeling consumers encounter on products that claim to be environmentally friendly.

See below for further details of our project!

This project website is organized into pages themed around product uses and related environmental concerns. 

Each student contribution includes: 

More about this project:

Are the eco-friendly claims of well-known and emerging brands valid?

What role can linguists play in supporting environmental concerns and protections?

Greenwashing is said to occur when a product or a company is described as more environmentally friendly than it actually is. 

This project focuses on Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a linguistic tool or methodology of close reading and rhetorical insight. 

These days, as personal testimonies, Indigenous insights, investigative journalism, and academic research expand popular understanding of the dangers of micro-plastics, and the lasting harms of chemical contamination of water, air, and soil--among other issues--we are increasingly appreciating the urgency of our global environmental crises. 

For these reasons, many consumers are concerned that their purchases may contribute to degradation of our natural environment, as well as their own personal health.  

What might greenwashing look like?

Taking heed of consumer trends, numerous companies, particularly in the U.S., are using environmental discourses to market their products. As a result, consumers are now often presented with phrasing that vaguely describes a product's "carbon footprint", "reusability", or how much "post-consumer recycled plastic" and/or "natural" and "plant-derived" ingredients were used in its manufacture. Such wording, often accompanied by green-colored labeling and/or plant-based imagery, may mislead consumers into thinking that a product is a safer or more environmentally friendly choice than an alternative product. 

After research completed by Jennifer Budinsky and Susan Bryant (2013) in the Canadian Journal of Communication, and recent journalism, we use CDA to evaluate the environmental discourses and eco-friendly claims of well-known and emerging products.

We invite you to Explore our website!

Students reflect on the experience of collaborating on this project:

"I really enjoyed working on the website with my classmates. It gave us a sense of community and felt very similar to a project fair where each one of us are knowledgeable about the specific products we chose. It made me reflect on how the importance of community is vital to looking out for predatory marketing tactics." - Jackeline

"It is interesting and motivating to see how our class came together in this project in bringing awareness about the concept of greenwashing specifically on items ANYONE can find in their household and how does it affect both the consumer, the brand company, and the environment. I hope that this website, once it goes public, will reach out to someone--and even if it is just one person--that has the potential to make a difference." - Stephanie

"I am so glad we had this project because it opened my eyes as to how to become even more environmentally conscious. For example, I can go beyond 'vegan' and "cruelty-free' labeling, and take a deeper look to see if product ingredients are safe and contribute to zero-waste practices." - Marilyn

Additional student reflections on this project:

"Collaborating on this project has helped me engage with the importance of social justice." - Ahlyssa

"Engaging in this experience of adding my essay to the class website was an excellent way for me to practice co-constructing social justice.  I am grateful for those who took the time to share perceptive feedback on my writing.  Perhaps most notably, I will remember to use critical discourse analysis before purchasing products for the rest of my life." - Andrew

"I truly enjoyed working on this project. I feel that it not only made me a better writer, but it also challenged me and the way I view any type of household item, food, and so much more. I've learned more than ever to challenge and question everything to ensure that I myself am also do not continue to fall as a victim of greenwashing, and at the same time to do my part and help others to be more aware. It is powerful and beautiful when language and social justice can together make a huge positive impact on us humans and our environment. This project has also opened up my eyes to so many different career opportunities with linguistics. I also want to take the time to thank Dr. Thomas for her patience, passion, and positivity throughout this entire process." - Karina